Leading the Nation in
Patient- and Family-Centered Care

What is Patient- and Family-Centered Care?

Georgia Regents Medical Center is a pioneer in the concept of Patient- and Family-Centered Care, an approach that removes the barriers to having collaborative partnerships between healthcare providers, patients and families. This means that we put patients and families first. We believe that families are an extension of the patient, not an imposition. The more involved a family is, the more our quality and safety improve along with your satisfaction. We don’t just have visitors in our hospitals, we have healthcare partners and they are an integral part of the healthcare team.

Accordingly, we practice these four principles:

We treat patients and families with dignity and respect.

We provide clear, comprehensive information in ways that are useful and empowering.

We create opportunities for patients and families to participate in ways that enhance their control and independence.

We ensure that collaboration is inherent in our policies, programs, education and delivery of care.

Because we are an academic medical center with three missions – patient care, medical education and research – we take a team approach to medicine, with you being the most important member of the team. Our team approach means you get better care and better outcomes because of the number of individuals bringing their skills to bear on solving your medical problems. In addition to your attending physician and nurses, the team might also include a resident, who is a full-fledged doctor getting hands-on experience in a given medical specialty, or, in some cases, a medical or nursing student. If you don’t want students involved in your care, just let your nurse or physician know.